Dmitri Kondratyev

Soyuz TMA-20 commander

Expedition 26 flight engineer

Expedition 27 commander

Born in Siberia in 1969, Kondratyev served as a pilot and a senior pilot in the Air Force flying different types of Russian fighter aircraft. Graduated from the Yuri A. Gagarin Air Force Academy and now a colonel, Kondratyev qualified as a test-cosmonaut in 2000.

This was his first flight to the Station after completing training as backup crewmember for missions ISS 5, 13 and 20.

He also graduated from the Moscow State University for Economy, Statistics and Computer Science in the Economic Information Systems Department.

From 2006 through 2007, Kondratyev served as Director of Operations for the Russian Space Agency, stationed at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.